The Hawk and the Spider
by Elizabeth Bartlett
Summary: As a bounty hunter, Clint never let it get personal. Then he met Natasha. Steampunk/Western AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was for LJ's be_compromised 2012 Secret Santa exchange. I had fun writing this since I love steampunk as well as westerns and jumped at the chance to combine the two. I tried to get everything historically correct and I set it up so steampunk wasn't so saturated in the outer territories, but they still used all that awesome stuff. Also thanks to **jackwabbit** and **mackenziesmomma** for letting me bounce ideas off of them. Don't own anything, I just have fun playing in the sandbox!

* * *

Clint Barton never missed, even from a distance.

Maybe that's why the Lakota tribe that had found him and brought him back from near death had named him 'Hawkeye;' they could see that his eyes never wavered from the target and shooting from a bow was as natural as breathing. Clint liked the name so much that when he took up bounty hunting went by the moniker, as well as making an arrow through the heart his trademark-something for those running to fear when they heard he was looking for them.

Of course he used his Colt Peacemakers when the occasion called for it, bullets tended to be less obvious than an arrow sticking out of a man's chest, but he preferred his bow and arrow. And with the gear revolution becoming more popular in the States and when he got enough cash, Clint asked his weapons supplier if they could rig up something for his bow. They managed to develop a new system for his arrows so that they were armed with all kinds of tricks; just activate the trigger on his bow and he could send a controlled dose of aether to subdue a target or a burst of gunpowder to create a diversion.

Phil said he needed a partner; someone who could watch his back and match his skill. Clint shot back that the last time he had a partner he was left for dead out in Dakota territory with a bullet in his back. After that Phil didn't bring it up again.

But sometimes when he was waiting for a target to show up, Clint couldn't help but wonder if there was someone like him that could match him in fighting and was just as good as he was. Someone who knew why he didn't sleep that much and always kept a knife hidden but within easy reach. Someone who understood why he needed to wipe his ledger clean.

* * *

Clint finished tying his horse to the post and walked into the office, knowing that Phil would be glad to see him. His most recent job had managed to bring in the full amount of the reward plus a little extra since Clint had found what had been taken before it was sold. Lord Stark was pleased that the man who had taken the plans for a new type of automaton had been returned alive for him to deal with. Or at least Clint was sure that Stark was pleased, since he'd only dealt with his associate Ms. Potts.

Taking off his hat as he entered, Clint handed it to the automaton stationed by the door-everyone had an automaton these days, didn't matter how much money you had-and walked towards the back of the office. He hoped that Phil didn't have a new assignment, the last three months had been nothing but going out and coming back; sometime's not even that, he'd get another bounty while still out in the field.

He didn't mind the busy schedule, but Clint was looking forwards to sleeping in a real bed instead of the ground or a hard airship seat. Walking towards the cable office, Clint slowed when he heard the wireless clacking away; knowing that Phil was either receiving or sending a message. Normally bounty hunters didn't have a boss, they just answered to whoever paid the bounty, but he had gained some notoriety in the profession when Phil approached him saying that he had a proposition to create an actual business out of it; all he had to worry about was catching the wanted.

So far things had worked out pretty good, Clint had actually gotten more business out of it; people seemed to take him more seriously when he had an actual office. And Clint had come to value Phil's friendship, he was the cooler head as well as the voice of reason and logic when the situation called for it. Plus he was a mean shot when the occasion arose.

"Hawk?"

Clint looked up and seeing that Phil was standing in the doorway with paper in his hands. "New bounty?" he asked, skipping past the small talk.

Phil nodded and held out the papers to his partner. "Just came in from Colonel Fury, said this is was important and needed to be taken care of right away."

Clint was surprised that Fury had contacted him since the last job hadn't ended well for either side. But it must have been serious enough for the Colonel (who wasn't even military as far as Clint knew) to reach out to him. "How much is he offering?" he asked while skimming the top page.

"Five times your last pay."

That made Clint pause and raise his eyebrows. "Fury must want him real bad."

"Her. Name's Natasha Romanov and apparently she's quite the Black Widow-nearly all of the men she been seen with end up dead and then she disappears." Phil responded as he walked towards the front, knowing that Clint would follow.

"Or she's just unlucky."

"Not from what Fury's told me. All the men she's been seen with have connections to industry or are vastly important one way or another. My guess is that she's a contract killer; no one would suspect the woman. Clint," Phil turned to look at Clint and he could see the concern in the man's eyes. "from what I heard from Fury she sounds dangerous. You don't have to take this one."

"You worry to much Phil." Clint scoffed, but he could tell that the man truly cared about his well being and not just what he was going to do if Clint got killed while on assignment. "If it'll ease your mind I'll take the rifle as well as all of my arrows. I just got a new shipment in, right?"

"You did. Figured you'd take the job and told Fury as much." Phil replied while letting a faint smile ghost across his face. "He has an airship waiting for you at the 'port, it'll take you to where the Black Widow's heading towards-Nevada Sparks. There'll be a packet waiting for you with a sketch of what she looks like."

"Nevada Sparks, guess I should pack light." Clint said, smiling a little since it seemed like all of his hunts had been in cold climates lately and was looking forwards to a warmer clime.

* * *

Nevada Sparks, despite it's name, wasn't even in Nevada. It was smack in the middle of Dakota Territory; it wouldn't have even existed if the Railroad had gone further south. The private airship Fury had booked for him set down two miles outside of town-while they were bustling they weren't busy enough to have a 'port for them to land-and as Clint disembarked saw that there was someone waiting for him.

Walking closer to the man, who was holding an extra horse, Clint saw that he wore a gold star on his vest. "Sheriff." Clint nodded when he was closer.

"Steve Rogers and I take it you're Barton." Steve said nodding his greeting as well. "Fury told my that you'd be coming and that I should help anyway I can."

"You know the Colonel?" Clint queried, wondering exactly the man did.

"Wouldn't be the man I am today if I didn't. But he didn't go into exactly why he sent a bounty hunter from Colorado out here, mind telling me what's going on in my town?" Steve asked as he handed the reins to the extra horse over to Clint.

"I'll let you know as soon as I do, Sheriff." Clint replied as he attached his saddle bags to the horse. As they rode into town Clint couldn't help but wonder what he'd gotten himself into this time.

Good things never happened to him in Dakota Territory.


	2. Chapter 2

Clint looked through the scope on his rife, glad that he'd thought to bring it along, since it was much easier to view the street in front of him than if he'd just been staring at it. He'd been in Nevada Sparks for almost a week and had figured where Natasha was staying. Now he just needed to suss out what she was up to so he could make his move before anyone else got hurt.

Footsteps down the hall drew Clint away from the window, hand to the Colt that rested by his leg as he silently moved towards the door. He waited as the footsteps drew nearer and stopped in front of his door. Then came a knock, "Barton, you in there?"

Clint relaxed his shoulders at the sound of Sheriff Rogers voice but kept his hand on the Colt as he opened the door. "How'd you find me?" he asked after seeing that the Sheriff was alone, but not letting the Peacemaker go. Steve had been helpful in helping Clint keep a low profile, setting him up in a spare room above the jail and telling his deputy that he'd owed Clint a favor from a long time ago. Bucky had taken one look at him and Clint knew that he wasn't buying the story but let it be.

"Bucky mentioned something about the boarding house and I figured that you'd be checking it out." Steve replied with a smile ghosting over his face. "So is she there?"

"Not at the moment, stepped out about an hour ago to most likely case probable vantage points." Clint responded as he closed the door and made his way back towards the window. Raising the rifle so he could look through the scope he continued, "Seems like she's going to make her move soon, is there anything big going on in town?"

Steve took off his stetson and absently scratched the back of his head, trying to think. "There's a special train set to arrive in two days before the mayor makes a big announcement to the town. Rumor is that the military is going to build another fort near here to reduce the Indian raids that've been happening lately."

"Surely as Sheriff you'd know who's-there you are, my little spider." Clint started to say as he spotted Natasha walking down the street towards them. Adjusting his angle he watched her through the scope as she neared the boarding house. She was dressed in a black dress with red trimming along the edges, a matching black and red hat with her red hair held to one side. If Clint didn't know any better he'd guess that she was a young window looking for a fresh start.

Behind him, Clint heard Steve let out a slow whistle and say, "She doesn't look dangerous."

"The dangerous ones normally don't." Clint softly replied as she entered the house. "And those are the ones you have to be careful of."

* * *

Clint stood on the rooftop across from the Sheriff's building and checked, for the hundredth time, that his arrows were ready and then triple checked that his rifle was loaded with the scope in place. Glancing towards the street, he had a feeling that things could get ugly fast.

That's why he'd had the lawmen discreetly spread the word to townspeople who could be trusted that something was going to go down and to keep out of the way. And he'd decided to act the day before the train arrived with the Commander of the U.S. Army-the Widow's intended target.

A sharp whistle brought Clint's gaze up from the ground and saw that Bucky had left the boarding house and was on his way towards the station. "_Now the waiting begins._" Clint wondered how long he'd have to wait until Natasha decided to turn and leave; that's why he had Bucky spook the Widow. Flush her out so he could capture her and get this mission over with.

* * *

Natasha always saw a mission through, no matter what the challenges, but seeing as how the local law had just paid a visit to her and asked a number of uncomfortable questions made her realize that she'd been compromised and had to modify her plans; the target had to be taken out now.

Quickly changing into the skirt she used when working and sliding her Derringer's into their leg holsters, Natasha slid in her hairpins that also doubled as daggers- a trick that she'd picked up on her second trip to California territory. Once everything was set, she quickly gathered her bags and left her room, she'd been paid up so it didn't bother Natasha that she'd had to adjust her timetable.

She knew that in this business you had to remain flexible.

Exiting onto the street, Natasha quickly noticed that it was much more deserted than normal; it was always bustling this time of day. Instantly alert, she looked around for any sign for something out of the ordinary. Not finding anything, Natasha started to cautiously make her way towards the train station; she'd stash her bags there then in the confusion leave this godforsaken town behind in the dust. If luck was with her, no one would notice that she'd gotten on the first train out of there until it was too late.

But she had to time it perfectly in order to accomplish this.

* * *

Clint didn't have to wait long until she appeared, determination in her stride. Pulling out one of his arrows; he nocked it, aimed and let it go. It hit the ground right in front of her with a _thwack_ and she stopped in her tracks.

That had been a warning shot. The next one wouldn't be.

Looking at the arrow in front of her, Natasha then looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. "You missed." she shouted, hoping to draw out whomever had shot it.

"I never miss." Clint called out, hoping that the echo would throw his voice and not give away his location. "Natasha Romanov, you're wanted for murder. I suggest that you give yourself up."

Natasha couldn't help but smirk a little as the mystery shooter told her to give up and then, almost as if they'd rehearsed it, the Sheriff and his deputy appeared; both of them training their weapons on her. "_Idiots._" she thought as she set down her bags and raised her hands, symboling that she surrendered.

They were closing in on her when Natasha decided to act. Quickly moving, she activated the pulls on her skirt to raise it so she'd have more movement and then reached with both hands for her Derringer's. Pulling them out she fired on the nearest lawman-both barrels trained on him.

It had happened so quickly that Steve wasn't sure what had happened. One moment him and Bucky were nearing Miss Romanov and then the next shots echoed through the air with Bucky on the ground, bleeding. Reacting, he moved to shoot Natasha but suddenly there was a dagger sticking out from his arm and pain was shooting through it. Dropping the gun, Steve gripped his arm but he was still determined to stop her and moved to apprehend her.

One down, Natasha now focused on taking out the secondary target. Dropping one of her pistols she pulled out a dagger and threw it at the Sheriff, hitting him in the arm. But that seemed to only encourage him, so Natasha ran towards him and swept his legs out from under him; sending Steve crashing to the ground.

Hearing movement behind her, Natasha whipped around while aiming the pistol to see an arrow staring right back at her.

Satisfied that they had Natasha covered, Clint had been about to join them when Natasha had shot Bucky. Knowing he had to act quickly or risk losing his prey, Clint quickly tied rope to an arrow and shot it to the opposite building. Pausing only to swing his bow across the rope, Clint slid down towards them; letting go at the earliest moment possible so he didn't kill himself and ran towards Natasha, reaching her just after Steve went down.

Quickly drawing another, he aimed it at her just as she turned around. He stood in front of her, wishing she'd move so Clint could kill her and collect the bounty. But she didn't move so there they stood, each not sure when the other would. Finally Clint spoke, "You missed your target, the Sheriff's still breathing."

"Who said I was aiming for the Sheriff?" Natasha asked while raising an eyebrow. "Maybe I got who I was after and the rest is just a happy bonus for my bank account."

After she spoke, Clint fired but Natasha ducked and the arrow went sailing over her back. Clint then dropped his bow and reached for his knife, swinging up as he did. As she ducked Natasha reached for her second dagger and pulled it out, blocking Clint's knife with a metallic clash. She then lashed out with her foot to his side and felt it connect, pushing to make him stumble back.

Clint managed to regain his balance only to duck as Natasha lashed out again; this time with her dagger. It sliced across his shoulder and pain almost made him cry out, but he focused on making sure he didn't give up. Because if he did then she'd disappear and he would've failed.

Hawkeye didn't fail.

Then her blade slashed him again, this time on his chest. Thinking fast, Clint fell to the ground and let his knife fall while pressing a hand to his newest wound, flinching slightly at the pain the pressure caused.

"Giving up already? That's kinda pathetic given what I've heard about the great Hawkeye." Natasha said, watching Clint fall to the ground.

Clint raised an eyebrow, "You've heard of me?"

"Took me a second of course, but once I saw how good of a shot you were it all fell into place." Natasha took a small step towards Clint, entertaining the healthy paranoia that it might be a trick.

"But I've never heard of you."

"Speaks volumes of our work doesn't it?" Natasha took another step, this one near enough to kick Clint's knife out of his reach. "I've heard of you but you've never heard of me. Here's a professional tip-make sure your trademark isn't so obvious. An arrow through the heart? Should've just put up an illuminated sign that read 'Hawkeye was here.'"

"True, but I only kill when I absolutely have to." Clint ground out through clenched teeth. "_Just one more step closer._" he thought to himself. But Natasha wouldn't budge and Clint was thinking that he'd just have to risk it and go for it when Steve let out a groan and Natasha's attention was diverted for a second. Clint saw his opening and went for it. He lunged towards Natasha's feet and, grabbing them, gave them a yank. Feet thrown out from under her, she went down and hit her head on the hard ground; knocking her out.

Clint quickly secured Natasha and then let out a breath, feeling the adrenaline rush start to ebb. "You alright Steve?" he called out after seeing that Steve was regaining consciousness.

"I think-Bucky!" Steve yelled as he saw that the deputy was still lying on the ground and not moving. "Get the doc quick!"

* * *

Clint wasn't happy. "What do you mean Fury's not sending an airship to collect us?!" he exclaimed to Fury's assistant, Maria Hill. "How does he expect me to get her out of here?"

"You're to take her to Fort Clarke and I'll meet you there to take over her extraction from the state." Maria replied calmly. She had arrived to complete chaos, most of the town wanting justice for the murder of their deputy while the rest just wanting her and Clint out of town on the first train bound for Minnesota.

"Does he realize how long that's going to take? It'll be at least six weeks, and that's if we don't get caught in a storm or killed by raiders. Hell, Breckenridge is closer!"

"Colonel Fury has other matters that he needs to attend to right now, there's more than one state clamoring for Miss Romanov's head. That's why he wants you to travel on horseback, give him the needed time to smooth things over." Maria stated in a tone that told Clint the discussion was over. She then handed him a packet filled with money. "This is for supplies for your trip, anything left over may be kept as additional pay."

Clint took the packet, what was to stop him from buying train tickets, and watched as Maria left room; pausing only to add, "I'll be watching the ticket booth at the station Hawkeye."

He watched her go and fumed silently. Phil was going to get an earful when he got back.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Takes place post-Civil War, which they call the "War."

* * *

Clint stared into the flames of the fire and tipped his hat back, resting a hand on the back of the crown. He wasn't quite sure why they'd stopped for the night, neither were going to sleep; not trusting the other. They'd been on the road for three days now and he hadn't slept since they left town, not the longest stretch by far but he wondered when Natasha would give up.

He'd seen it before in the past, at first they'd put up a tough exterior but as they drew nearer to their destination they'd try to bargain with him. Offer him money, automatons or whatever it was he wanted if they just let them go. Clint never took the offers of course, he didn't want whatever they bargained with and what he did want they couldn't get anyways; that was forever out of his reach.

But at the same time he had a feeling that she wasn't like the others.

A log crackling broke Clint out his thoughts and he looked up to see Natasha staring back at him. She was still dressed in the attire that she'd been in when they'd captured her and looked a little chilled with the wind blowing on her nearly bare shoulders. Getting up, took off his jacket and walked over to her, despite what most thought he wasn't completely heartless. "So you don't get cold." he said, putting it awkwardly onto her shoulders.

"Thank you." Natasha said, glad for the sudden warmth the jacket gave her. Despite the cold and calculating nature they had tried to instill in her in the Red Room she knew when someone was being genuine towards her and Natasha could tell Clint was. He wasn't just making sure the bounty got there in one piece.

"You don't sound Russian." Clint remarked once he had settled back into his original spot across the fire from her and reached for the shotgun to start cleaning it.

Natasha raised an eyebrow at the comment, from what she had seen over the past couple of days Clint wasn't one for conversation. "It's been a while since I've considered myself Russian." she stated simply. The only reason she kept the Romanov surname is because it was the only name she knew and the deadly reputation it had gathered. Those who hired her knew that Natasha Romanov would get the job done fast and professionally. Glancing over towards Clint she asked a question of her own, "Why give up...our profession? From what I've heard, you never missed or got caught." She tipped her head slightly, "You must have pissed someone off enough to warrant walking away."

Clint paused in his ministrations and stared at Natasha. Seeing her casual expression, he could instantly see why so many underestimated her; you couldn't protect yourself against someone you thought to be completely innocuous. Just looking at her made him want to explain that his last "job" was the straw that had broken the camels back; he had always made it clear upon his hiring that if they tried to double-cross him it wouldn't end well for them. But also he knew that every inch he gave Natasha was every inch he'd end up hanging himself with.

Breaking the gaze Clint finished cleaning the rifle, "That's none of your business." He then moved to check his bow-making sure that the gears and mechanisms were in working order. Clint knew that they were but at the same time he didn't want it to fail when he needed it the most.

"Oh c'mon. Entertain a girl here." Natasha prodded, knowing that eventually he'd give in, flatter a man long enough and he'd spill his darkest secrets. "Or how about I guess? What made the great Hawkeye turn to the good side of the law...It was a girl wasn't it? Daughter of someone you worked for break your heart?"

Clint reacted instantly, shooting the arrow right at Natasha's feet with such force that it buried the arrowhead into the hard ground.

Natasha reacted instinctively. Grabbing the hidden blade from her boot, she quickly sliced through the binds on her feet and crouched into a defensive position; holding the blade near her face and ready to strike should the need arise.

Clint immediately drew another and aimed it at her heart, the fact that she'd freed herself so easily registering dimly in the back of his mind. "I'd be careful of speaking right now if I were you." he said in a hard voice.

Natasha didn't back down and raised an eyebrow. "I can see that it's a touchy subject. And there's no need to get all defensive, Hawk-I was simply curious about the man who managed to capture me."

There was something about the way she called him 'Hawk' that sent shivers down his spine, but not in a bad way. Hawkeye knew that he shouldn't take anything the Black Widow said at face value but he could tell that she was genuinely curious about him. And he was curious about her at the same time, but he also knew that if he dared to get close then he'd be breaking all kinds of unwritten rules; if word got out he'd be done as a bounty hunter.

Lowering the bow, Clint returned the arrow to the quiver while saying, "Next time I won't shoot towards the ground."

* * *

The sky threatened rain and Clint wondered (for the thousandth time) if he shouldn't of risked the wrath of Maria Hill and bought rail tickets. There was only so much flat landscape a person could stand. They'd been traveling for a week now and he'd hardly spoken a word to the Widow since he'd almost put an arrow through her for trying to pry into his life.

Looking at his back, Natasha could see that Clint was miserable. She was good at reading people and there was something in his eyes that told her that they were alike in more ways than one. Of course the most obvious was that they both took lives for hire-although he did it when only left no other choice now. But they both were wounded early in life to warrant such a path. She had heard the stories of course, Clint and his brother had been the only survivors of an Indian raid, carried off by the same tribe to be raised on the Plains where he learned how to be deadly accurate and during the War became an assassin-for-hire to whichever side paid the most, continuing after the cease fire.

But now there was a different pain he was hiding and...it intrigued her. After their stand-off, he had re-checked her for any hidden weapons and she could tell by the way his hands lingered that it'd been awhile since he'd been with anyone. She wasn't shy about sex; she'd used it more than once in order to complete the mission, but to be with someone she actually wanted to be with...it hadn't happened in a long time.

And the fact that she wanted it to be Clint scared her a little bit.

She couldn't fall for the mark, it just couldn't happen; Natasha wouldn't allow herself to fall into that trap.

Not again.

It was the rain turning into snow that did it. Clint hated snow. It froze up the gears in his bow and made it extra hard to shoot, not mention the flakes got into the works and caused them to start rusting. And the fact that he didn't have his sturdy poncho to block most of the wind and snow did nothing to improve his mood. He let Natasha keep his coat and didn't have a spare; Clint hadn't planned on being gone for over a month.

And to top it all off, Clint felt like he was coming down with a cold. "_This is why I hate Dakota._" Clint thought to himself as he shivered. He would stop at the nearest town, but if memory served him correctly (and it always did) the closest one was twenty miles south of where they were and besides, he didn't think it a good idea to take Natasha into a populated area where she could cause a distraction and try to slip away.

Reigning in his horse, Clint surveyed the area and after glancing over the surrounding area turned to Natasha and said, "How's this for camp?"

Natasha looked at the flat plain, the same landscape that they'd seen for the past three weeks with no one around and sometimes a town in the far off distance, and shrugged. "It'll do. Don't have much to choose from right?"

"Good." Clint said as he swung out of the saddle and made his way toward her, untying her hands from the saddle so she could dismount. Once she had slid down (with his help), Clint retied her bonds and set to work making camp.

There wasn't much to it; unfurling their bedrolls, picketing the horses and unsaddling them-setting the bags near his roll. Getting a fire started was tricky in the snow, but Clint was glad that he'd taken Stark up on his offer on testing a prototype of his; an auto fire-starter that lit wood or buffalo chips almost right away (as long as they weren't too damp). It had taken some getting used to, but once he got the hang of it Clint had fallen in love with it. Only when the flames were licking the buffalo chips did Clint start heating up water from the small stream they had passed yesterday.

"We're not that different."

Clint paused, eyebrow raising at the comment while lifting his eyes to meet Natasha's; pushing back the brim of his stetson. "How so?" he asked, wondering where the comment had come from.

"We both hunt people for the highest bidder and take them out." she replied in a matter-of-fact voice. "And we're the best at what we do."

"Of course we hunt people but unlike you I only kill when it's called for." Clint replied in a hard voice after a few seconds of silence.

"Now, but before you were just like me."

"Don't ever say that I was like you." Clint snapped, anger growing by the second. "I'm not some cold-hearted killer unlike you." Without waiting to hear any more of her excuses, Clint dug back into his meal-signaling that the conversation was over.

But her words echoed in his head, "_We're not that different._"


	4. Chapter 4

One day bled into the next for Clint; the snow continued and soon it gathered in small piles on the frozen ground, stinging their faces when the wind kicked up. Clint could feel his cold getting worse but knew he had to slog through it, he'd done it before and could do it again. As a cough wracked through his body, Clint wondered what deity he'd pissed off to deserve all of this.

Natasha had tried to engage Clint after her fireside comment but Clint would have none of it; as far as he was concerned her voice was just the wind whistling through his ears. But she kept trying, every man had their weakness; it was just a matter of time for her to figure his out and exploit it. She would put up a fight until the bloody end.

Glancing into the distance she squinted against the snow haze, seeing shadows appear. "I think we have company." she shouted, hoping that Clint could hear her over the wind.

Clint looked and could make out a group of riders. "Shit." he breathed, realizing that they had crossed the paths of a group of bandits. "Hold on." he said as he spurred the horses into a gallop. As they raced towards the bandits Clint unslung his bow and activated the trigger for his arrowheads. The gears turned sluggishly and Clint muttered a curse under his breath, he really hated this goddamned snow, but eventually it maneuvered to the one he wanted and drew the arrow.

"Untie me, I can help." Natasha said, but Clint ignored her.

As the group drew closer, Clint nocked the arrow and took aim-breathing in and out evenly like Trick had shown him until he let the string go and the arrow flew towards them. It hit the ground and a small explosion blew up the ground apart in front of the lead horse, sending its rider flying through the air. Clint immediately drew another arrow and just as he was about to let it go, there was a crack and Clint felt a bullet sear itself into his shoulder.

"Untie me!"

Clint continued to ignore Natasha, there was no way he was going to free her, as he pulled the reins to the left to try and put more distance between themselves and the group but they just gained on them. Clint was aiming for a small hill he'd spotted when suddenly his horse slipped on the icy ground and they both went down. Wincing as the weight of the horse slammed on his leg, Clint turned his head in time to see Natasha hit the ground beside him.

"Tasha!" he called out while trying to get his leg free from under the horse.

"I'm fine." she responded after a second, pushing up from the ground with her arms. Natasha felt lucky that her bonds had slipped from the saddle so when her horse went flying she could jump. Looking up she saw that the group was quickly gaining on them. "Clint..."

"I know, I see them." Clint said as he freed his leg. Tentatively standing on it, he was relieved to find that it wasn't broken and that his quiver had a few dents in it but didn't look broken. He'd test it soon though to really see.

"Untie me, Clint. You know I can help." Natasha said, holding out her wrists towards him.

"No, you'd run first chance you got." Clint snapped as he let another arrow whistle through the air and hit one of the cowboys in the shoulder.

"Where am I going to run? If you hadn't noticed there's nowhere to hide!" Natasha yelled over the sound of approaching hooves.

Clint lowered his bow and scowled, he knew Natasha was right but didn't want to. However, two against six was a lot better than one. So as the group approached he slipped her a knife and watched as she expertly hid it.

Good Lord, what did he just do?

"Well if it isn't Hawkeye." the man in the middle smirked as he made his way towards them. "Isn't it just kismet that we meet here on the open plain?"

Clint glared at the man, "Wade Wilson, I should've known it was you. There's that special smell of insanity in the air that's only around when you are."

"You flatter me Hawk, really you do." Wade smiled as he walked towards the pair. "And I see that you've got company." He touched the brim of his hat, "Ma'am."

"What is it you want Wade? Normally you're hanging around the aether dens in 'Frisco. Must be something to drag your sorry ass all the way out here."

The smile faded from Wade's face and he turned to face his crew. As he did Natasha caught a clear look at the side of his face, seeing the horrible scars across it and wondered what had happened to cause them. Then he turned back to face them and said, "We're here for the girl, Barton. My boss wants her dead or alive-although dead _is_ preferred-and is willing to pay a hefty sum for the trouble of dragging me across this god forsaken tundra."

"_Of course._" Clint thought as he glanced briefly towards Natasha who was shooting daggers with her eyes at Wilson. Shrugging he said, "Sorry but can't let you do that. Colonel Fury's waitin' for us and wouldn't be too happy to learn that I just gave her up to the first aether freak that came along." Clint hoped that by mentioning Fury's name would call Wade and his posse off while sending the message he wasn't going to give up his bounty without a fight.

Wade smirked while shaking his head, "You think I care that Fury's involved? How do you think my employer knew about her being here-he's spread the word so goddamn much that even the Canadians heard about." Pulling out his gun, Wade pointed it at Clint and pulled back the hammer. "Hand her over."

Clint reacted when Wade did, aiming an arrow right at his face and the rest of the group pulled out their guns. "Six against one, Barton. Give up." Wade said, a mean glint in his eye.

"Actually it's five." Clint said as he shot Wade in the chest. He then dived towards the ground as gunfire erupted at their feet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Natasha had avoided the gunfire and had freed her hands and feet. Not pausing, he sprung up while pulling out another arrow and sent it speeding through the air towards the group. It hit its target and the man went down, but the others just moved in closer towards the pair.

Natasha gripped the knife Clint had given her and slowly backed up until she hit Clint's back. Turning her head she asked, "Care to give me a gun?"

"And have you with bullets? Sorry, but I'm not that stupid." Clint fired back while reloading his arrow and pointing it at the group, but not firing.

"Too bad, taking it anyways." Natasha said as she embedded the knife into a man's jugular while grabbing one of Clint's Peacemakers. "Duck."

Clint shot his arrow while bending over so Natasha could roll across his back and shoot two men in rapid succession. Fed up with the sluggish gears, Clint reached for his other Peacemaker so he could finish off the rest. Spotting Natasha trying to take down one of the remaining two, he couldn't help but admire the way she moved in close combat; had they met during the War they would've made quite the deadly pair.

He then spotted the second man coming up behind her and opened his mouth to shout out a warning when shots rang out and bullets slammed into his side. Grunting, Clint stumbled and fell to his knees-wondering what happened. "New gun, you like it?" Wade said, getting up and pulling the arrow from his chest. "You can fire more than one shot without having to reload, neat huh?"

Wade moved towards Clint and gave him a swift kick in the stomach. "Although there's something to be said for an old-fashioned beating."

Curling up to protect himself, Clint let go of his weapons and grasped the hidden knife on his gun-belt. Pulling it out, he grabbed Wade's foot just as it was about to connect again and yanked it from under the man-sending the other man crashing to the ground; driving the knife into Wade's stomach and then across his throat.

Shouts drew Clint's attention away from Wade and saw that while he'd been distracted the men who hadn't been wounded had grabbed Natasha and were in the process of dragging her towards their horses. "Natasha!" he shouted, dropping the knife and stumbling up.

"Clint!" she shouted. Seeing that he was alright, she elbowed one captor and snapped a kick towards the other. Wanting to make sure they didn't get up again, Natasha ran towards the one left standing and aimed Clint's gun, shooting him in the head and then whipping around while using her momentum to throw the knife towards the last one. It hit him in the shoulder and he went down.

Wanting to finish it up close and personal, Natasha quickly made her way towards him, planting her boot on his chest while taking aim with the Peacemaker. She had her finger on the trigger when she heard Clint shout, "No! Leave him alive!"

She scowled and turned to see him limping towards her, "Why? They tried to kill us."

Clint sighed, wincing slightly as he did. Taking the gun from Natasha he said, "I know, I was there. But we need someone to take a message for us." Not waiting for a reply, Clint grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up. "Now listen, you take a message to who ever hired you and tell him that she's off limits. Fury's called claim to her and if he sends any more they'll end up like Wilson-dead." He pointed his gun at the man's head, "Understood?"

The man quickly nodded and since Clint felt like the message had been received loud and clear sent the man galloping away in the direction he'd come. Only when he was out of sight did Clint slump to the ground with a grunt and take stock of his injuries; three bullet wounds, bruised side and if the pain was anything to go by when he breathed-a bruised (or possibly broken) rib. "_I've had worse._" he thought to himself, smiling ruefully.

"I've seen worse." Natasha replied as she knelt down in front of him to see if there was anything she could do to help.

Clint laughed, grimacing a bit at the pain the small action caused, "I bet you have." He looked at her and saw that she was sporting a small bruise where they hit her. "Let me take a look." he said, bringing a hand to lightly touch it. "You didn't run."

Natasha felt her cheeks heat up at the contact and she ducked her head while shrugging at the comment, "We make a pretty good team." Then Natasha did something she'd never though she'd do, she kissed Clint.

It was a light kiss, right on the lips and over so quick that if Clint hadn't seen Natasha lean in he would've thought that he'd imagined it. Staring into her eyes, he saw a softness that hadn't been there before and he liked it.

Then the moment passed, the hardness returned and Natasha looked away. Clearing her throat she glanced towards Wade and said, "What are we going to do about Wilson? If the stories are true then we might have trouble following us."

Clint shook his head, "We leave him, if the stories _are_ true he'll go back with his tail between his legs; that's enough for me." Slowly standing he took his time walking towards their horses, hoping that they had come through the skirmish unscathed.

"Clint, you're hurt-" Natasha started to say but Clint cut her off with a wave.

"I'm fine. Like you said, you've seen worse." he said getting down to check for lameness.

"At least let me bandage you up." Natasha was truly concerned for Clint, the halting way moved worried her.

"Once-shit, this one's lame." Clint replied, knowing that it couldn't go on. He hated to do it, but it had to be done. Once it was over with he saw that one of the other horses was still around and decided to commandeer it; getting the saddlebags transferred was almost to much for him but he waved away Natasha's offer of help.

After treating his wounds the best he could with what little supplies they had, Clint retied Natasha's hands and feet and he could tell from the stormy look that she gave him, she wasn't all that thrilled about it. But Clint didn't care, he still didn't trust her.

Traveling was painful after that, Clint's injuries slowing them down. He didn't want to admit it, but with the way his heart was pounding, head aching and the sweat that made his shirt stick to his skin either his wounds were becoming infected or his cold had taken a turn for the worse.

Vision wavering for a moment, Clint pulled his horse to a stop and waited for it to straighten out. But it only got worse and dimly Clint realized that he was slipping from the saddle, collapsing onto the ground. As his vision blurred and started to go dark Clint faintly heard Natasha yelling his name.

* * *

It was hard for Clint to breathe. Each inhale and exhale feeling like a stone was sitting on his chest and he didn't know what was happening. His entire body felt like it was on fire and there were times where he could dimly feel beads of sweat slowly trailing down his chest.

Fading into consciousness, Clint heard something rattle over him accompanied by the low murmur of someone speaking. Wanting to know what was going on, he tried to open his eyes but couldn't; letting out a faint groan. Then there was a gentle pressure on his chest and something cool touch his forehead.

The cold water felt wonderful on his face and Clint could feel his body relax. As he started to fall back into the blackness he heard someone say, "You're not going to die Hawkeye, you still have much to do in this life."

* * *

_"Katie!" Clint yelled as they dragged her to where the zeppelin was waiting. Whipping out his pistols, he aimed them at Barney. "Let her go or I swear to god I'll kill you."_

_Barney just laughed, "If you do then she'll be dead." Then his face grew serious and he held up a hand, "Hold on boys, let's give Clint here a second to think things through."_

_Getting off his horse, Barney calmly walked over to where Clint was standing. "Now then, why don't we try to talk this out like business men."_

_Clint tracked Barney's movements and didn't lower his weapons as the man drew near. "Business? You're my brother and my partner Barney, I**trusted** you."_

_"Was your partner, Clint. Was. Just wanted to clear that up incase you thought there was any confusion in the future. And really?" Barney shook his head. "It's not like I was subtle about my growing ambitions this past year. All those secret meetings, going out of our way for people you didn't remember contacting, constant runs to Canada...really it was all there." he paused for a second, glancing towards Katie. "I think you've gone soft and we all know who's to blame for that."_

_"Clint, please!" Katie sobbed out from her position on the ground._

_Clint pulled back the hammers of his pistols and said, "Let her go Barney, she didn't do anything."_

_"But you did!" Barney yelled, pointing at him. "You put those goddamn Marshals on my trail and almost got me killed! You're the one who messed everything up." Barney said as he moved closer to Clint. When he was close enough he continued, "Besides, you wouldn't kill your brother would you?"_

_Clint knew Barney was right, they were all they had; he couldn't kill his own brother._

_He just couldn't._

_With a heavy sigh, he uncocked his pistols and lowered them. "You're right, I couldn't."_

_Barney smiled, "I counted on that." He then pulled out his knife and drove it into Clint's stomach._

_Clint grunted and bent over, pain washing over him like fire. He heard Katie scream and moved to save her but Barney gave him a kick that sent him sprawling onto the hard ground. Then Barney pulled out his gun and shot Clint in the back._

_As Clint lay there bleeding, he heard Barney shout, "Get her into the zeppelin and power it up. We need to move the cargo before the Marshals figure out where we're headed."_

_"Clint!" he heard Katie scream as they dragged her into the ship._

_"Katie!"_

Clint's eyes flew open and he bolted up, gasping at the pain that the movement caused. It took him a minute to get his bearings and figure out where he was. Eyes adjusting to the dimness Clint saw he was inside a teepee, warm blankets covering him and a fire burning in the center-the smoke lazily winding its way up to the hole in the top. It felt like the one he'd woken up in when Trick had saved his life. Satisfied that he wasn't in any immediate danger, Clint took stock of his injuries-there were bandages on his shoulder and another wrapped around his middle. Just as he was about to try and stand, the flap opened and a figure ducked to move inside.

Natasha ducked into check on Clint and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dim light inside. Once it did, the sight of Clint awake and sitting up surprised her. "You're awake." she said with a slight smile on her face as she moved closer to him.

"Yeah...where are we?" Clint asked as Natasha set down a bowl of water and a cloth beside him.

"You shouldn't be sitting up, you'll open your wounds." Natasha stated while giving Clint an exasperated look and gently pushing him back down.

Clint was weak enough that he didn't offer any resistance. "You didn't answer my question, where are we?" he reiterated once he was laying down again.

"About a mile or so from where you collapsed." Natasha replied looking into Clint's eyes. "I...I though you were dead." she said softly, gently running her hand through his hair.

"Well I hate to disappoint you." Clint joked, trying to lighten the mood. He could see the fear in her eyes as well as the concern in her voice. It confused him, she should have taken the opportunity to run and let him die-why stay and find help? There was something that she wanted to say, he could see it but something was holding her back-he wasn't quite sure what it was. He wanted to reassure her that he wasn't planning on dying any time soon but couldn't get the words to form.

Then the moment passed and his eyelids felt heavy all of a sudden. Closing them, he started to drift off and as he was on the edge of sleep Clint felt Natasha kiss him lightly on the lips and whisper, "I love you Clint Barton."


	5. Chapter 5

The next time he woke it was pitch black and the fire was dying. Remembering the pain from last time, Clint took his time in sitting up. It was still painful but not as much as the first. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a figure besides his pallet and could tell from the slender form that it was Natasha. Confusion ran through his mind; he still had no idea where they were or who had helped them. Determined to get some answers, Clint made up his mind to get out and figure out his surroundings.

However, his legs were still weak so he was able to stand for five seconds before collapsing. Letting out a grunt of pain as he fell, Clint heard Natasha move instantly and say, "Clint?"

"Yeah?" he gritted out through his clenched teeth.

"Hold on a second." She said while moving away from him. He heard the sound of gears turning and a match being struck, lighting a flame. She then moved the lantern closer and sighed, "Why did you try to get out of bed? You're still pretty weak."

"Yeah, found that out the hard way." Clint shot back as she helped him get back into bed. Sighing as he lay back down he then asked, "How long was I out?"

"Almost four weeks. Trick said if they hadn't seen me then you would've died."

"Trick? He's here?" Clint asked, instantly awake with more questions flooding his mind. "When...How...Why?"

Natasha shook her head, "I can't tell you. All he said was that he needed to speak to you." Moving closer to him she said, "Clint...I-I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I..." Natasha trailed off, biting her lip and glancing away. She wanted to tell him point blank that she'd fallen for him and she didn't want him to turn her into Fury (or anyone else for that matter). But she just couldn't. "I'm glad that you didn't die."

Clint looked into her eyes and felt like that wasn't what she had really wanted to say but didn't want to push her. The ice around his heart had been thawing since meeting her and for the first time since Katie felt like she was someone who he could truly care about. It scared him that he was feeling this way because if he actually followed through then he'd be done in the business. "Well, I'm glad that I didn't die either, that'd put a kink in my plan to become the best bounty hunter in the country." he said, brushing all those thoughts aside; he could deal with them later. Right now he just wanted to see Trick.

"Since I'm up, mind taking me to see Trick?" he asked while plastering on his trademark smile, the one that never failed to work.

Natasha just raised an eyebrow and shook her head, "Not until you're stronger. Now go back to sleep."

"I've been sleeping for four weeks, I think that I've slept enough." Clint stated as Natasha turned off the lantern and plunged them back into darkness.

"Clint?"

"Yeah."

"Go to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Oh c'mon Tasha, I'm an adult. I can do it myself." Clint groused as he brushed aside her attempts to help him dress. It had been six days since he'd regained consciousness and he was itching to get out of the tent and to see Trick-the man still hadn't come to see him and Clint was concerned.

"Fine." Natasha huffed, folding her arms across her chest and giving him an exasperated look. "But don't come crying to me when you can't get your pants on."

"Well maybe you can help me take them off." Clint blurted as he finished buttoning his shirt. Realizing what he'd just said, he paused and looked up to see Natasha staring at him. "I-uh..." he trailed off, not sure how to backtrack.

"Now I know you're feeling better." Natasha shot back, rolling her eyes. They had fallen into an easy relationship, more like friends than anything else and it relived Natasha that it hadn't gone past that; she didn't think she could handle it if it did. Watching Clint get better had relieved her, she'd been truly afraid those first few days that he wouldn't make it. Sighing, she held out Clint's belt and waited for him to take it before speaking, "If you promise not to push yourself you can see Trick."

"I didn't know I needed your permission to see my friend but thank you." Clint responded once he finished dressing. Brushing his fingers through his hair he then slipped his hat on and took a deep breath, preparing himself to get up. It took all of his strength not to fall when he finally stood and Clint took a few hesitant steps. "See, I didn't ne-whoa!" he started to say when his knees suddenly buckled and he started towards the ground.

Natasha reacted instantly and caught him before he landed on the hard ground. "You okay?" she asked while helping him stand again.

"Yeah, my knees just wanted to kiss the ground again." Clint replied, his pounding heart easing a little.

"You were always stubborn."

Clint looked towards the flap at the sound of the familiar voice and grinned. "Trick." he said, slowly moving towards the man. "It's been too long."

"It has Hawkeye." Trick said as he embraced arms with Clint. "A lot's changed since you left, for both of us."

"You're farther south than normal." Clint remarked as they slowly made their way through the camp. Life was going on in front of them and Clint couldn't help but notice how thin everyone looked, which worried him. These people had saved his life in more way than one and he felt closer to them than anyone in his life-even Phil. He didn't want what was happening to the rest of the Plains Indians to happen to them.

"We go where the bison are." Trick simply responded, starting straight in front of them. "They head farther south because of the railroad, you know how it is." He then glanced at Clint while continuing, "I had a feeling you'd be back and knew I had to guide you back to your correct path."

"My correct path? What are you talking about Trick?"

"You're meant to do more than catch people for a living Hawkeye." Trick paused and turned to look at Clint. "There'll come a time where the fate of the world hangs on your shoulders and both of you need to be ready."

"Both of us?" Clint echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Natasha and myself?"

"It wasn't chance that brought the two of you together."

"Whoa, hold it for a second." Clint said as he stopped abruptly. "Are you saying that Tasha and I are connected?" He looked at Trick for a moment before raising an eyebrow and continuing, "Trick...how much aether have you had? 'Cause seriously, that stuff'll fry your brain if your not careful."

Trick just shook his head, "Think about it Hawk, why'd you accept this mission to Dakota? Why didn't Natasha run when you were wounded? Take that leap of faith."

"Last time I had faith I got a bullet in my back." Clint shot back, not liking the points his friend was bringing up. He didn't want to admit it but the older man was right, there were times when Clint felt there was something bigger in the works.

"She seems happy." Trick nodded to a scene in the distance and Clint glanced over to see that Natasha was playing with the children in a game of lacrosse. He couldn't help but smile when she performed a flip in order to avoid crashing into another player and the younger children watching shouted in surprise-she made it look so easy. Laughing, she quickly passed the ball to another player and looked in their direction. Spotting them, she smiled softly and quickly looked away-joining back in the game. "It's been a long time since she's been like this."

"She talked to you?" Clint asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. Hell, he didn't even know what she'd done in order to get such a bounty placed on her head.

Trick gave Clint a smile that told the other man that he knew more than he was letting on, "You talked to me. Don't worry Hawk, when the time comes she'll open up."

Clint stood where he was while Trick walked away, thoughts swirling around in his head. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed and turned around to head back towards their lodgings; he'd had enough excitement for one day.

Natasha shaded her eyes against the sun and watched Clint as he walked away from her. She wondered what Trick had mentioned to Clint, how much he'd told him. She still couldn't get her mind around the fact that he'd said they were meant for bigger things. Not sure what think, she focused on the game, entertaining the younger ones with performing flips and rolls that to anyone else would seem impossible but to her was as natural as breathing.

* * *

The arrow whistled through the air and shattered the glass target Clint had set up. He was testing out a new brand of arrowheads he'd gotten before setting out but hadn't had a chance to try out until now. Reloading, he took the time to go over the finger controls-he needed to arm the arrow in an instant during combat so he had to memorize the correct combination to get it; otherwise he might not be so lucky.

Letting the arrow go he heard movement behind him. Reacting out of instinct, Clint drew a knife and turned around in the same instant-ready to throw it. He paused halfway through the throw when he saw it was Natasha. "Goddamn it Tasha, don't sneak up on me like that." He growled, turning away to face the targets.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "Really? I've been standing behind you for twenty minutes. I only let you hear me to tell you that you missed dinner."

Clint glanced to her hands to see she was holding two bowls of stew and felt his face heat up slightly. Turning away so Natasha couldn't see it he let go another arrow while saying, "I'll be done in a minute."

"Good because my arms are getting tired." Natasha said as she sat down on the log that Clint had dragged over when he first arrived at the spot.

Closing his eyes and turning to face her, Clint shot the last arrow in his bow and knew from the sound of glass breaking that he'd hit the target. Clint plastered a grin on his face while giving her a mock bow. "Let me get the arrows."

"You're a show-off you know that!" Natasha teased as he walked away.

"So are you!" Clint called towards her. Walking towards the targets, Clint quickly gathered the fallen arrows and put them back in his quiver; he didn't like to waste arrows if he could help it.

Straightening up, he was glad at how quickly he was getting back to normal, it had been almost two weeks since he had woken up from his injuries and a week since his conversation with Trick. And as much as Clint wanted to linger here, he knew that they were already overdue and if they stayed much longer then Fury would be getting anxious. He'd seen the man get anxious before and didn't want to relive the experience again. Clint figured that they'd leave either tomorrow or the day after that and push to get to the Fort-it was a straight shot to the river and after crossing it they'd be there within half a day.

He just wasn't sure how to tell Tasha that they'd be leaving soon, she seemed to enjoy it here and didn't want to ruin that any time soon; but deep down he knew he had to. Quickly setting the bow and quiver against the opposite side of the log, Clint joined Natasha and they ate while watching the sunset. The stew was hearty, if lacking more meat than he had remembered but still good the same.

Feeling a bit cold, Natasha moved towards Clint for warmth and leaned her head against his. Clint was slightly surprised at the movement but didn't oppose it, he shifted and put an arm around her so that she'd be more comfortable. "We should join the others around the fire." he said after a moment.

"We should." Natasha agreed as the last of the sun disappeared, but neither moved.

As the stars appeared in the night sky, Natasha broke the silence again, "Who was Katie?"

The question startled Clint and he raised an eyebrow, "Sorry?"

"When you were unconscious...you kept calling out for her. Who was she?"

Clint was silent, not ready to dredge up that part of his past quite yet. Especially to someone like Natasha. "Must have been someone I met during the War, not really sure." Not wanting to discuss the matter further, he got up and slinging the quiver onto his shoulder said, "We'll be leaving tomorrow." Clint then walked away without waiting for a response.

Natasha watched Clint walk away and was confused by his sudden frosty demeanor. "_Back to the original plan then._" she thought to herself as she made her own way back towards the camp.


	6. Chapter 6

Clint was up early the next morning to start saddling the horses and had just finished when he heard the crunch of snow. He looked up to see that it was Trick and while double checking that the bridle was tight said, "I don't want to hear it."

"I wasn't going to say anything. I just came to give you some supplies, it's a long ride." Trick responded while holding up the saddle bags he carried.

"Thanks." Clint nodded while taking them. "Shouldn't be too long-if we push it we could make it to the fort in a week."

"Just be careful crossing the river, it tends to get rapids unexpectedly this time of year."

Clint sighed and turned around to face his friend, taking off his stetson to run his fingers through his hair. "Trick...you said that I'm meant for something bigger. What where you talking about?"

"Just be careful, Clint."

Clint couldn't help but smile a little, that was just like him; say something mysterious and then leave it to Clint to figure out what it meant. Then he spotted Natasha approaching them and nodded, "I'll try not to be near death the next time I visit."

"Promises, promises." Trick said as he embraced Clint and left, nodding at Natasha as he passed.

"Ready?" Clint asked as she neared him.

She nodded and held out her hands for Clint to bind again. So when he handed her the reins to the second horse Natasha paused, not sure what to think. "You're not tying me up?"

Clint shrugged as he shifted the reigns to one hand and swung up onto his ride, "Like you said, where are you gonna run?"

Natasha was silent as she settled herself onto the saddle, silently admitting to herself that it was nice to have her hands and feet free while riding. "_Now I just need a window of opportunity to present itself._" she thought as they galloped away from the encampment.

* * *

Clint was true to his word and pushed hard as he dared to reach the fort within a week-riding long after the sun had set and the stars had come out. He didn't want to admit it, but the reason for the sprint towards the end was because Clint was afraid that if he lingered then something would happen that he'd regret. Better to keep his thoughts to himself than speak them and couldn't take them back.

Natasha was also silent, but for a different reason. She was watching, waiting for the right moment to make her move; knowing that if wasn't executed perfectly then the house of cards she had build would come tumbling down. But at the same time she wanted the truth to finally come out, no matter how much Natasha knew she'd been compromised and wanted to minimize the damage already done.

She had to kill Clint and collect her own bounty for it.

* * *

Clint's still healing body protested as he dismounted but he ignored it, once he got back to Colorado he could relax. Until then he'd push until they reached their destination. Pushing back his hat, Clint scratched his head while saying, "Guess we can call it a day."

Natasha shrugged, "If you say so." Neither one still slept, so she didn't understand stopping each night but could see that Clint's wounds were forcing them too. Camp was quickly set up and soon they were eating.

"My first kill was Alexi." Natasha blurted out, not able to take the silence any longer.

Clint's only reaction was a raised eyebrow and then asked, "Who was he?"

Natasha looked into the fire while talking, "He was a member of the Imperial family who discovered the Red Room, where I was trained, and raised his objections over children being turned into perfect assassins. The Czar never liked the man so it was a convenient excuse to have him killed. It was my first solo mission and I felt confident going with the cover as a ballerina from the Imperial Russian Ballet. It helped that I had been trained in ballet and could catch a man's eye just by looking at him. But something happened that they didn't count on."

"What?"

"I fell in love with him." She stated simply, still not being able to look at him. "But I killed Alexi anyways."

Clint was silent for a second before asking the question on his mind, "You ever fall in love with a target again?"

Natasha drew her eyes away from the fire and looked at Clint, "Once more. He knew and I...this time I just couldn't."

Clint didn't respond until the fire had almost died out, "I met Katie while Barney was meeting with her father-both were smuggling aether in from Canada but I didn't find that out until later. She was a hell of a shot with a rifle and stole my heart. I'd see her whenever Barney have t' make a run for her father and he'd drag me along for protection since we were running our own freelance operations. Pretty soon we made plans to run away out West. Then I found out what Barney was really doing and turned him into the Marshal's; they set up a trap and he almost got killed. Barney figured out that I was the one who talked, so he decided to harm me the only way he knew how; he kidnapped Katie and set out for Dakota. I hunted him and his crew down and tried to get her back but Barney...well, I'm sure you saw the bullet and knife wounds. Never was able to figure out what happened to her and Lord know's I tried."

They didn't speak the rest of the night, each lost in thoughts from the past. Only when the sky began to lighten did Clint suggest as they get an early start and two days later they reached the river that separated them from Fort Clarke. Clint stood on the bank of the expanse and tried to see if there was a place that narrowed so they could ford it in relative safety.

"I think our best bet is to cross here and-" Clint started to say as he turned around but cut off when he faced Natasha who was aiming a pistol at him.

"You really should have kept me tied up." Natasha deadpanned as she pulled back the hammer. "Put your hands up."

Clint raised an eyebrow as he did as he was told, "I though I got all your weapons."

"You can thank Trick, he gave it to me. I don't know why, but it always amuses me that even the most loyal of friends have a price." She smirked as she moved closer.

For once Clint didn't have a witty comeback, Trick's betrayal hurting almost as much as when Barney shot him. He glanced towards his bow, which was a few feet away on his ride. Maybe if he bolted...

"Don't even think about going for you bow, you'll be dead before you get to it." Natasha stated, knowing from his expression what he was thinking.

Clint scowled, hating that Natasha was as good as him and seemed to know his every move. "Did you plan this all along? Make it look like you didn't want to be taken alive and were desperate enough to attack me?"

Natasha smiled, "And did you really think it was that easy, capturing the Black Widow? Weren't you the least bit suspicious back at Nevada Sparks when I said that maybe the Sheriff wasn't my target? Granted I didn't count on Wade showing up, but I think that little wrinkle was handled rather nicely." She then grew serious and looked Clint in the eyes, "I did mean it when I said we made a good pair-if I didn't have to kill you then I'd suggest we team up. We'd be a hell of a force to reckon with."

As Natasha talked, Clint slowly lowered a hand. If he could just reach his gun... "Hand up, Barton." Damn. Knowing that he'd be dead in a few seconds, Clint decided risk it and leapt towards Natasha while reaching for the gun.

Natasha pulled the trigger as Clint jumped towards her but misjudged the kick and the bullet sailed harmlessly over his shoulder. Clint landed on her and they collapsed to the ground, the pistol flying away from them. Knowing that he had to get it before she did, Clint scrambled up and started towards it but Natasha grabbed his ankle and yanked; sending him crashing to the ground once again.

Getting up, Natasha brushed hair away from her face and scrambled towards the saddle-bags where her weapons were stored. If she could get at least a few knives then she'd be able to more than hold her own. Halfway there she felt hands grip her waist, dragging her back. Not wanting to go easily, Natasha stomped on his foot and then kneed him in the crotch.

Letting out a strangled grunt, Clint loosened his grip on her and she took the advantage-bolting to grab any kind of weapon. Her hands closed around the hilt of a blade and she whipped around, throwing it as she did. The blade embedded itself in Clint's shoulder and he grimaced.

Wanting to end this, he pulled it out and then drew his own knife-throwing it at Natasha. But his arm was still healing so it wasn't as powerful as normal so she easily dodged it. Natasha couldn't help but laugh, "You missed."

"What part of I don't miss don't you get? If you hadn't moved then it would've hit you." he shot back while pulling out his Peacemaker and aiming at her. "Give up or I swear I'll shoot you."

Natasha smirked, "If you were going to then you would've done it already. You've gone soft Hawkeye, just admit it." She then ran towards him and pushed hard, sending him tumbling down the embankment and into the water. Grinning wickedly, she picked up the knife she'd thrown and scrambled down to where Clint was-putting a foot on his chest so he couldn't move.

"Now stay still so I can kill you and get my money." She said in a silky voice. Natasha looked into Clint's eyes and for a second felt her conscious give a slight tug; she really _did_ care for Clint and she didn't have to do this, she could let him go and move on and try to forget everything that had happened. But then the moment passed and the hardness in her eyes returned. But that didn't stop her from saying, "For what it's worth I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Clint said with a bit of remorse in his voice. Then he grabbed Natasha's foot and pulled, sending her flying into the water. Moving quickly, he grabbed her neck and held her underwater for a few seconds before bringing her up. "If you were going to kill me you would've already done it."

Natasha could hold her breath for longer than she was under but still came up sputtering. Thrashing around, she tried to loosen Clint's hold on her but he just waded deeper into the river until the water was chest-level. After the third time she was dunked under the water Natasha stopped struggling. However Clint didn't loosen his hold, he'd been bitten to many times by her tricks and wasn't about to fall for another one. "Now was-" Clint started to say but was quickly drowned out by the sound of water rushing towards them. He looked up to see rapids quickly coming their way and struggled against the current to get to the bank before it reached them, but it was too fast and the water slammed into them like a locomotive.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was Natasha being torn from his grip and being swallowed by the rapids.

* * *

"Did you find her?" Clint asked after walking into the post commander's office. He'd just gotten the green light from Doctor Banner to leave the infirmary and had wanted to see if the search for Natasha had turned up anything. Clint still didn't remember much, but they told him that a scouting party had found him ten miles from the original crossing point, half-dead (again. Clint wasn't liking the trend that he'd started to notice).

After bringing him back to the fort, Hill organized a search pattern for Natasha but so far it hadn't resulted in any promising leads.

Maria shook her head, "I'm going to end the search, we haven't found any clues that she's alive or dead. It's going on three weeks and the fort can't spare any more resources, they have better things to do at the moment-there's been a rise in raids and they're stretched thin until the new garrison can be built."

Clint nodded, not saying anything but his mind buzzing; they hadn't found any sign that she was alive or dead but this was the Black Widow they were talking about-if she didn't want any trace then she wouldn't leave one. Besides, he had a feeling that she was still alive.

"You'll still be paid, Hawkeye." Maria continued, turning to face Clint. "Actually Fury was surprised that you had her in custody as long as you did, given her reputation. And he's given me permission to make you an offer, what do you know about A.R.M.O.U.R.?"

Ten years later...

Clint peered through the scope of his rifle and waited for his target to appear. Fury had given him the dossier on Natalie Rushman and the children's hospital fire that got her on A.R.M.O.U.R.'s radar in a bad way. From what he read he was more than eager to take her out. Paying the local street sparrows to keep an eye out for someone with her description had paid off so now he was perched across the street from her residence and waited to spot her.

Seeing movement towards the edge of the magnifier, Clint shifted it a little bit and spotted her-eyes going wide when she turned around and he saw who it was.

Natasha.

Feeling his heart start to pound, Clint knew he had to pull the trigger and kill her. But...he just couldn't. Then she stepped inside and the opportunity gone.

Lowering the rifle, Clint leaned his back against the wall and waited for his heart to stop pounding. As he waited, he tried to comprehend what he'd just seen. Obviously she'd survived the rapids but why continue as the Black Widow? Why continue to kill when he saw that there was good inside of her-she could have killed him time and time again on their ride. Even when he was dying from infection she could've left him and gone her own way, but she saved him. At the river too, Natasha could have killed him and collected the money but she didn't.

Clint thought back to how she'd said that she'd fallen for a target twice but couldn't kill the second one. Him.

Coming to a realization, Clint quickly scrawled a note and attached it to one of his arrows. Smiling to himself he aimed and shot it towards the door.

"_She's alive!_" his mind sang as he watched the door open and Natasha see the arrow.

And he was making a different call this time.


End file.
